Stormwater management

AR & Associates has a long-standing track record in providing expert advice in the stormwater management field. We understand the technical engineering and regulatory requirements involved in the planning and design of stormwater management systems that work. Our team can provide expert advice and engineering services on public and private sector projects.

Professional Excellence with Sustainability at its Core

AR & Associates is a leading professional services provider in the design and management of sustainable storm water infrastructure. Our expertise in civil engineering, green infrastructure and planning is recognised by organisations across the public and private sector in New Zealand and overseas.

Stormwater Infrastructure

We are experienced in providing innovative stormwater management solutions in a wide range of settings: from a catchment-wide basis down to individual site level. We strongly promote the use of Water Sensitive Design (WSD) and Low Impact Design (LID) in our approach. By integrating stormwater into the wider design process for the project, we help clients to achieve outstanding results that reach beyond the stormwater-related benefits.

Public sector stormwater management

Technical Reviews

AR & Associates has a strong track record of providing specialist civil engineering and green infrastructure services to councils. We provide technical review of stormwater management and stormwater planning consent applications and specialist advice on stormwater matters to councils throughout New Zealand. This includes technical review and advice on applications for Special Housing Areas (SHA’s) and large infrastructure projects, including a number of Roads of National Significance (RONS).

Additionally, we have been involved in the feasibility and design of many integrated public sector infrastructure projects that address stormwater management objectives (such as stormwater quality, conveyance, flood management and/or erosion protection) along with other project drivers such as improvement of urban and recreational spaces and community-related initiatives. Examples of these include Sunnynook Park, Croftfield Lane, Oakley Creek, and Carol Lee Pond.

Private sector stormwater solutions

Integrated Design Planning

Our experience in the stormwater field allows our clients to make efficient, robust and well-informed decisions with regard to the stormwater management of their projects. We make stormwater management an integral part of the wider design objectives. This helps to minimise environmental impact, facilitate the resource consent application process and meet the environmental, infrastructural and broader commercial needs of the project.

Working with the Land to Deliver Better Design

Current best practice in stormwater management aims to achieve outcomes that are hydrologically neutral and replicate natural drainage patterns by using the intrinsic values of the land: such as topography, geology, natural coastal, freshwater and terrestrial environments. While we recognise that these opportunities can be highly variable and depend on the current level of development and project commercial (and other) drivers, our approach to stormwater design aims to achieve an enhanced natural environment wherever possible. By adhering to the principles of Water Sensitive Design (WSD) and Low Impact Design (LID), we integrate green infrastructure with urban design, roading and landscaping to enhance and protect the unique features of the land.

Balancing Environmental and Commercial Drivers

Designing infrastructure that is viable and environmentally sensitive requires expertise in both civil and environmental engineering, as well as a clear understanding of the commercial drivers of each project. At AR & Associates we supply all these qualities when we work with land developers and landscape and urban designers to create attractive premium developments.

In addition to providing a clear point of difference when selling land titles, intelligent use of green infrastructure can significantly reduce overall construction costs due to a reduction in ‘hard’ infrastructure like traditional concrete pipes. This results in robust, resilient, attractive and durable stormwater solutions. Through this integrated and smart design approach, AR & Associates will achieve multi-faceted win/win outcomes for your project.

Expert Witness Work

At AR & Associates we also represent clients in the capacity of expert witness in court, in the field of stormwater in addition to our other fields of practice. We work with clients to prepare and present robust, well informed and defensible evidence. Our thorough approach has led to repeated success for our clients over the years.